Remain unchanged
by Furin7210
Summary: Mikleo wondered why Edna hadn't grown taller until recently.


Rose carefully drew a thin line of pencil on the wall, just where the top of Edna's head reached. There was another line about an inch lower, which was drawn the last time they returned to Izuchi.

"Oh, it's true! You really have grown taller, Edna-san." – Lailah happily chimed; her two hands clasped one of the earth seraph's.

"Hey, I never said you could scribble on my room like that!" – Mikleo frowned lightly among all of the opened books surrounding him – "What are you, five-year-olds?"

Edna turned around to see for herself - "You don't use it anyway, do you? And since you decided to move into Sorey's, we can use it anyway we like. Consider it a thank to me, who helped you clean the mess you called his room yesterday, and had to actually put down her umbrella to lift something heavier than it, Meebo."

"I don't remember asking you to clean that mess, Edna." – Mikleo closed some of the books and arranged them in different piles – "But it's true, you can stay in mine from now on. Just remember to erase those marks."

"Thank you, Mikleo-san. Do you need a hand with those?" – Lailah motioned to the piles as Mikleo took one of them in his arms and stood up, slightly out of balance.

"If you don't mind." – The water seraph nodded before turning around, smirking – "Not you Edna. Lifting anything heavier than an umbrella is not good for the height of a growing kid."

"But didn't you use a staff because-"

"S-shut it Zavied, no one asks you!"

* * *

"I'm taller now, huh?" – Edna looked at the hem of her dress, caressing it endearingly among her fingers – "Guess I would need a new one soon, right onii-chan?"

Whispering her question into the endless sky while knowing there wouldn't be a certain voice answering, the earth seraph couldn't help feeling lonely at times like this, when the fresh wound of losing Eizen had yet to close. Despite hating to worry others, Lailah's arms might be the best place to go to right now, Edna thought, but she wanted to stay just for a few more minutes – the wind felt nice tonight.

"What are you doing?" – a familiar voice reached her through the dark. Meebo's footsteps were lost in the wind as those bare feet brought their owner to sit beside her under the newly planted tree next to the village entrance.

"Nothing in particular." – Vaguely, the earth seraph answered – "Why aren't you wearing any shoes? Your feet would get dirty."

"The sensation of grass is comforting like this." – Amethyst eyes gazed far away into the starry sky, or maybe into the past – "Sorey and I... we used to chase each other around bare-footed on this field in the past. It was such a joyful memory."

Edna slipped her feet out of those heavy boots and tried placing them on the ground. It was true – the grass felt cool and nice, helping her relax the tired muscles.

"I never know. Rayfalke has never had this much grass."

"Anyway, you are not drowning yourself in sorrow, are you?" – Mikleo seemed to sense her distress as he persistently asked.

"I'm not. Don't lump me with the likes of you, silly Mikleo. Silleo"

The boy chuckled, strangely not provoked by the given name - "Glad to hear that."

"I'm thinking of going to Lailah, but since you're here, maybe you would suffice."

"What do you need from the likes of a Silleo, o great Edna-sama?" – Sarcasm couldn't hide the concern in Meebo's voice; he was always that kind of person: so caring yet always hid it.

"Just wondering what onii-chan would think of my new dress which I will have to buy soon. This," – she pointed at her clothes – "is getting shorter."

"Hm, it's strange. Why haven't you grown taller after a thousand years up until now? Augh!" – A jab of Edna's umbrella had the water seraph groan in pain – "What was that for?"

"Haven't Zavied told you not to mention a lady's age?" _Idiot. Pure, just like Sorey, but an idiot nonetheless._

"You know unless he sounds sincere, I never take anything he says seriously, right?" – the other gripped his side to ease the pain as well as hiding it from another jab, and the earth seraph was surprised to find herself laughing.

"Fair enough." – Edna ceased her attack before returning to Mikleo's question – "It's over now, so I guess there is no harm telling you, is there?"

* * *

 _Eizen placed his warm, large hand on Edna's head and pat her gently - "I'm going now. Be good and watch over this mountain for me, will you?"_

 _Edna had to press the last bit of her will not to cry in front of the other - "If I do that, will you be back to me?"_

" _Of course I will, Edna. I promise."_

 _Little did she know that was the last time she ever heard him call her name._

* * *

" _I miss you, onii-chan."_

 _Her new scarf smelt like the ocean he sailed on, Edna thought as she wrapped it around her neck. It was so warm, just like him. Eizen must be having fun with his friends, making her wonder what it felt like to go on a journey._

"I will be back, Edna. I promise." - _The old promise rang in her ear, being the source of power that drove her forward._

 _Little did she know that was the last clothing he ever bought for her._

* * *

" _I miss you, onii-chan."_

 _Edna's cheeks felt cold and moist. The sweet Eizen sent her tasted strange – it was sweet, but also a bit salty. If only that was because a little salt was accidently mixed with sugar from the start..._

"I will be back, Edna. I promise." - _She could still recall the day he promised her as if it was only yesterday, even though hundreds of years had passed. Ironic, wasn't it? Because to seraphim, even hundreds of years should feel like just a single breath._

 _Little did she know how hard he tried just to make that sweet for her, and that was the last sweet he ever made._

* * *

 _Hundreds of years later..._

 _"I already know, you idiot..." - She cried, clutching the fifth normin mascot he sent as her tears dampened its face. Has Eizen found the happiness he was searching for, even if it meant never returning to her side? If such was his final decision, Edna found herself accepting it, no matter how much pain she had to bear. Because Eizen felt the same, didn't he? She had always been protected in his own way, hadn't she?_

 _In times like this, Edna couldn't help wondering if being born and able to meet him was a blessing or a curse on them both._

 _The normin mascot stayed silent, but its warmth covered her quivering heart, telling her to believe that it was a blessing._

* * *

" _I miss you, onii-chan."_

 _She tightened the scarf on her neck as a flake of snow landed on his signature, above which read the familiar line:_

"I miss you, Edna.

Please stay strong for me."

 _Little did she know that was the last letter she had ever received._

* * *

" _Aaaahhhh...!"_

 _Edna's scream was pressed back down her throat as the monstrous dragon landed on her domain without difficulty. There was simply no way such a young and inexperienced seraph like her could win against that symbol of malevolence._

 _Still, it was her failure. Watching over this mountain was the only thing he ever asked of her, yet in the end she couldn't kept that promise._

 _The dragon stepped closer and closer to where she stood, and Edna couldn't run regardless of how much she wanted to. But there, on the line of life and death, when the monster's reptilian blue eyes looked into hers, the little sister realised._

 _Eizen had kept his promise (his lie). He had come home._

 _When it was already too late._

* * *

 _She tried so hard not to cry the day he left – she mustn't, not in front of Eizen, which would make him worry about her and sadden him – but in this moment when her eyes met his, no amount of will could help the tears flowing out like a broken watergate._

 _Edna didn't even want to run anymore. The pain and sorrow in her shattered hearts seemed to petrify the seraph in place._

" _Onii-chan, welcome home."_

 _With shaking voice she greeted him. His roars were the only responds she got._

" _Did you have fun, onii-chan?"_

 _Roar._

" _I have been waiting for you all this time. Ain't I a good sister?"_

 _Roar._

" _So please, Eizen-onii-chan... stay with me..."_

 _The dragon didn't attack; instead those large, scaled wings flapped as if their owner had lost interest in the small seraph. Eizen took off slowly, heading for the mountain trail, and Edna panicked._

 _Was he going to leave her again?_

 _No, she didn't want that!_

 _Her barriers were broken to pieces one after another, and soon enough she could no longer cast another one. Edna ran after the dragon, stumbling countless times but stubbornly refused to give up. Exhaustion was taking over her bit by bit, and by the time she reached the mountain trail, the earth seraph was out of breath and barely had any strength left._

 _A scream could be heard from the tunnel she was running through; Edna's heart stopped at the desperate sound. The human! Having to face a dragon would be the end of them, and then... and then..._

 _Her brother would become a murderer._

 _Her only wish was for the two of them to live together, as happy as the family they were. So why did everything have to turn out like this?_ _The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming as she watched Eizen raised his claws above the man's head._

 _The source of seraphic power inside Edna awakened. It reacted to her wish for power – enough power to prevent Eizen from causing anymore havoc, and to keep him by her side._

 _It told her that great power came with a price, which wouldn't be anything cheap._

" _Anything! I will give you anything you want! So please, please, give me what I need for us to once again be together!"_

" _How about not physically growing anymore – forever the little sister whose head he used to pat?"_

 _She answered without hesitation, that she would definitely make that oath._

* * *

 _Weeks later, the rumour of a dragon nesting on Rayfalke Spiritcrest became a common topic among the human. Most of them decided to stay away from danger, but there were also foolish ones wanting to see for themselves, or even worse, chasing the fame of becoming a dragon slayer. Edna's newfound power pushed them all back, and the rumour slowly faded into legend._

* * *

 _It was said that once a seraph had become a dragon, there was no way to change him back the way he used to be. How nonsense – Edna would prove them wrong, no matter how many years it took._

" _Go back, Zavied. I am Eizen's sister, and I will not allow such things." – What a waste of time, when she still had a whole shelf of books to read._

" _And I am his friend, killing him is something I had to do."_

" _Over my dead body." – Edna tightened her hold on the umbrella that was once Eizen's present, ready to attack._

" _How much longer are you planning to keep on doing this?"_

" _Until I success in bringing him back."_

 _Despite saying that, Edna couldn't ignore the hopelessness tightening its grip around her heart. Although the earth seraph's appearance remained unchanged as another year came and past, Zavied's visits kept counting how much time left until she had to face the inevitable truth._

* * *

"You see, now that Eizen was no more, the oath simply... disappeared, that's all." – The earth seraph ended her story, turning her face aside so that her eyes met melancholic amethyst ones – "And I will never get to ask him 'how do I look?' in that new dress."

"I don't know him very well, but I guess..." – Mikleo placed a hand on his chin, mind was still lost in Edna's story - "he would say you look 'cute' no matter what you wear. Because that's the person he is."

Her mouth curved into an evil smirk - "Well, looks can be deceiving. Like how you decided to grow your hair out so as to look more mature. Pfft."

"You are admitting it now!? And what do I have to do with this?" – Edna could see Meebo's facepalm at the corner of her sight, and it had never been less amusing to watch.

A long sigh came from the water seraph before he continued - "Even though we couldn't keep our promise, you still helped us till the end. Thank you, Edna."

"I don't want to say this but..." – The familiar umbrella was opened, hiding its owner from sight – "it was a great journey, I guess."

"And yesterday, for helping me with Sorey's room – if you weren't there, I might have felt lonely again looking at all of his stuff, so..." – Taking in a deep breath, Mikleo slightly bowed his head – "Thank you."

 _I have been found out, huh?_

It was such a relief to know the water seraph was also getting back his footing, and most of all, to have friends around whom she can trust. _It must have been the same with you, onii-chan,_ – Edna smiled softly _– cried together, laughed together, hearts sharing the same beats._

* * *

" _I do hate human, but this one is pretty okay"_

" _Thank you, Edna."_

" _Then, take me with you. To the outside world."_

* * *

"Come back soon, will you Sorey?" – The earth seraph whispered as she ran after Mikleo, bare-footed, to the place where their friends would be to welcome her home.


End file.
